## The Pangolin Project CIO Trustees’ Annual Report
## – April 2024 March 2025
## **Summary**
The Pangolin Project CIO continues to support the work of the Pangolin Project in Kenya. The project was set up in 2020 and is dedicated to the conservation of Pangolin in Kenya and the habitat on which they depend. Public awareness of pangolin was generated by reports of the huge illegal trade in pangolin scales and pangolin meat.
Although pangolin have been present in Kenya for many years little was known about the size of the population or its activities. Initially the project concentrated on the Temminck’s Ground Pangolin with three key objectives:
- i) Research and Monitoring of Ground Pangolin populations ii) Awareness, education and training of communities and partners iii) Rapid response to and rehabilitation of injured and trafficked pangolin.
The project started with a small group of employees carrying out surveillance with camera traps, training rangers to identify and report on pangolin, and engaging local communities through awareness programmes. In 2020 – 2021 over 70 sightings of pangolin were reported. The project employed 2 consultants on data analysis who were able to produce reports on the distribution of pangolin and their behaviour. This information and greater public awareness enabled early intervention in the illegal poaching activities.
In June 2021 a report was received of the sighting of a Giant Ground Pangolin in the Nyekweri Forest in the west of the Masai Mara. This was the first sighting of this species since 1951. TPP Kenya therefore decided to transfer its base and operational activities to the Nyekweri Ecosystem. This lies on the western edge of the Greater Mara Ecosystem. It is a forest ecosystem interspersed with grassland with forest tendrils tumbling down the Siria Escarpment onto the well known Mara Serengeti savannah. Nyekweri is the most biodiverse area of the Greater Mara Ecosystem and is an essential refuge for all species from the savannah. The area is home to a number of unique Congo Guinea species and is the only known location of Giant Ground Pangolin in Kenya.
TPP Kenya partnered with 2 community conservancies that are connected and cover an area of 37,050 acres:
**Kimintet Forest Trust Conservancy** which is comprised of larger land parcels and covers an area of 22,477 acres
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**Oloirien Forest Trust Conservancy** which lies to the south of Kimintet.Landowners generally own very small parcels of land. It covers approximately 14820 acres,
TPP also works with 2 other conservancies in the Nyekweri ecosystem:
**Maasai Moran Forest Trust** This covers 2396 hectares and connects Oloirien and the Maasai Mara National Reserve. It is essential for giraffe calves and wildlife corridors to and from the forest.
**Oloisikut Conservancy** which lies on the northern edge of the Nyekweri Ecosystem and links the conservancies of Mara North and Naiboishi to Nyakweri.
Through the ongoing research and monitoring by the TPP team it became apparent that the greatest threats to pangolin and other wildlife are deforestation and habitat loss. The land has been subdivided into land parcels ranging in size from 12 acres to 300 acres and allocated to individual landowners. In order to secure their land the owners have fenced it with electric fencing which presents a potentially lethal trap for pangolin. In passing through the fences the pangolin scales become caught on the wires. The attempts to free themselves from the wire exacerbate the electric shocks emitted, often with fatal consequences. The forest has been cleared to make space for livestock grazing and agriculture. In addition large areas have been given over to the commercial charcoal trade. It was estimated that since 2010 approximately 80% of the natural forest, and therefore the habitat for pangolin and other species had been lost.
The operational activities of TPP Kenya were therefore expanded. The aim was to engage landowners in schemes which would reduce deforestation. The initial scheme was for landowners to agree to a Memorandum of Understanding. They would be paid a certain amount – 7500ksh per year/per hectare of land on condition that:
- i) The forest was not cut ii) No fence was put though the forest iii) TPP were able to monitor the forest on the owner’s land.
Meetings were held with landowners to explain the MoU. By October 2024, 132 landowners and more than 4,000 acres of forest was protected under the conditional payment scheme. Further work with landowners resulted in the removal of electricity from 142km of wire.
The intention was to progress the conditional payment scheme into conservation land lease agreements. These are agreements between a landowner and a conservation organization or government agency that restrict certain types of use or development of the land to protect its natural resources. The terms of a lease can vary widely depending on the objectives of the conservation effort, the characteristics of the land and the needs of the landowner. The leases need to balance the landowners ability to use the land and enjoy their property with the need to preserve its ecological or historical features.
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Lease signing began in April 2025 after a 12 month consultative process with the community and conservancies. 41 landowners who were in the forest payment scheme moved to a lease agreement and work continues to expand this scheme.
## **Activities**
## **1. Monitoring and Research**
The monitoring and research teams focus on two core themes:
- i) Monitoring of Giant Ground Pangolin ii) Monitoring of wider biodiversity.
Together these efforts help to understand the ecological needs of pangolins and the ways in which species coexist and depend on and depend on one another. These insights directly inform conservation strategies.
## i) Giant Ground Pangolin Monitoring
It is estimated there are approximately 30 GGP individuals remaining in Nyekweri. TPP collect data on individuals using community reports, camera trap footage and VHF and satellite tagging devices. In 2025 TPP increased the number of sites where camera traps are placed and the number of camera traps deployed. An increasing number of GGP events were seen; between 3-6 individuals in any 24 hour period. Pangolin are seen frequently within Kimintet Forest block, Saruni area and the forest sites in Kimintet conservancy. It is not clear how these individuals interact with each other.
In March 2025 there were 2 nights of unique footage of a GGP individual digging another pangolin out of a burrow over a 48 hour period. The incident culminated in the two individuals fighting.
In other footage a GGP mother and pup were recorded on leased land and a GGP named Saruni who had not been seen for 15 months appeared. These are encouraging signs for the survival of pangolin.
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||GGP Monitoring
Activities|||
|---|---|---|---|
||2024|Jan-March
2025|April-June
2025|
|No. of community callouts|10|0|2|
|No. of camera traps
deployed|70|80|97|
|No. of GGP Videos recorded|408|245|497|
|Nights|14.6|22.3|20|
|Burrows|15.1|17|17|
|Sitesmonitored|10|9|12|
## ii) Biodiversity Monitoring
Nyekweri is home to a number of range restricted species. TPP monitors these species using in person sightings and camera trap data. This data helps to inform on the importance of Nyekweri to biodiversity and the interaction between species.
A new grant will help TPP to measure the abundance of ants and termites – the vital food source for pangolins – and study the wider impact of deforestation on biodiversity.
## **2. Habitat Protection**
As set out above much of the land in the Nyekweri Ecosystem has been subdivided and allocated to individual landowners. Whilst this may benefit landowners economically the process can lead to fragmentation, incompatible land uses and the loss of critical wildlife habitat.
Community conservancies address this by bringing landowners together into a collective, enabling them to earn competitive returns through conservation and ecosystem service payments whilst also creating connected landscapes for wildlife. This is an integrated system where people and wildlife benefit.
## i) Payment for Ecosystem Services
TPP initiated a conditional payment scheme which provides financial incentives for landowners to keep forest on their land rather than clear it to make space for livestock and agriculture.
## ii) Conservation Leases
Conservation land leases are a way of ensuring continued local ownership and generating financial returns at a competitive rate to agriculture. The terms of the lease restrict land use and fencing. Landowners settled on their land are allowed to maintain full use of 10% of the land parcel.
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Lease signing began in April 2025 and by mid 2025 there were 165 landowners in lease agreements and forest payment systems.
## **3. Risk Mitigation and Natural Resource Security**
One of the greatest threats to pangolin is electric fencing. GGP are particularly susceptible as they get stuck between 2 wires.
Protecting natural resources through ranger reports and responses is also essential for the survival of both pangolin and other wildlife species.
## i) De-Risking Fences
TPP works in collaboration with landowners to reduce the risk of electric shock to pangolin by
- a) Removing electricity in area strands below 65cm in height
- b) Removing the bottom strand of wire
- c) Removing the entire fence itself.
In early 2025 TPP re-assessed the status of fences in a small area. A number of previously deelectrified fences had been re-connected and some new fences put up. Further work is progressing to address these problems.
## ii) Rangers and Security of Wildlife and Natural Resources
TPP works to protect natural resources in the Nyekweri Ecosystem for the benefit of both pangolin and other wildlife. It employs 21 local Maasai rangers to report and monitor human wildlife casualties, poaching, logging and tree cutting and charcoal production.
In 2025 reported incidents of charcoal burning and tree cutting decreased across the area. This trend is linked to the expansion of land parcels enrolled in lease and forest payment schemes. The incidents were concentrated in two areas with relatively low lease participation and where several landowners did not renew forest payment agreements.
## iii) Veterinary Response to Wildlife Casualties
Competition between humans and wildlife for land use often leaves wildlife as the casualties. Injuries from arrows, spears, fences and natural causes are reported by the ranger teams. The predominant species affected are zebra and giraffe. Zebra and eland are particularly vulnerable TPP then works with the Kenya Wildlife Service veterinary department to ensure rapid intervention.
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## **4. Community Engagement, Awareness and Connection**
TPP has worked closely with community members since its inception in 2020. This was initially to inform and educate about the presence of pangolin. Since 2024 TPP has been in an extensive consultative process with the community to inform about lease and biodiversity payments. Community meetings have been held by the conservancy Community Liaison Officers and household visits have been held. This has built invaluable trust between TPP, the conservancy and community members.
## **Financial Review**
The principal income of TPP CIO is in the form of restricted grants obtained by The Pangolin Project in Kenya following detailed written applications. The Kenya company also receives grants and funding directly. Payments are made by the UK charity to Kenya in accordance with those grants. In addition the UK charity receives requests for funding from the Kenya company which are approved by the Trustees and accounted for by the Kenya company.
Over the period April 2024 – March 2025 TPP CIO received a total of £67,934.43 in grants and donations. £52,000 was by way of grant and £15,934.43 by way of private donation. A total of £87,472 was transferred to Kenya, £26,940 of which had been received by way of grant in the previous financial year.
The charity had surplus funds of £34,856 at the end of the financial year.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
The charity’s governing document is its Constitution.
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
The charity had 4 trustees at the end of the relevant period. New trustees are appointed by resolution of the existing trustees. They are recruited by recommendation, presentation of their interest in Pangolin protection, their knowledge and experience of conservation and consideration of the duties of charity trustees.
The charity receives donations and grants intended by the donors for use by the Pangolin Project in Kenya.
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The trustee board meets at least 3 times a year. It receives reports of the strategy, objectives and activities of the Pangolin Project. It considers the budget and accounts. It approves, as appropriate, the requests for funding from the Pangolin Project.
## **Reference and Administrative details**
Charity Name: The Pangolin Project CIO Registered charity number: 1190187
Charity’s principal address: The Croft
Station Lane
Great Barrow
Chester CH3 7JN
## **Names of the charity trustees at 31/03/2025**
Katie Abigail Hamilton, Chairperson, appointed for 2 years on 30/06/20, a further period of 3 years on 25/05/22.
Rowena Margaret Okell, appointed for 3 years on 30/06/20, for a further period of 1 year on 07/06/23 and a further period of 3 years on 20/03/24.
James Gordon McIntosh, appointed for 1 year on 30/06/20, for a further period of 3 years on 28/06/21 and a further period of 3 years on 20/03/24.
Daniel Ingram, appointed for 3 years on 06/12/22.
## **Declarations**
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Katie Abigail Hamilton Date: 4[th] December 2025
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Chairperson
Rowena Margaret Okell Date: James Gordon McIntosh Date: Daniel Ingram Date:
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**Charity Name No (if any) The Pangolin Project CIO 1190187 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period** Period start date Period end date **To from** 01/04/2024 31/03/2025
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest**
**£**
**6 803**
**-**
**-**
**505**
**95**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**7 403**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**7 403**
**135**
**1 188**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**12 000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**13 323**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**13 323**
**- 5 920**
**-**
**35 136**
**29 216**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**8 532**
**52 000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**60 532**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**60 532**
**-**
**-**
**26 940**
**52 000**
**8 532**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**87 472**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**87 472**
**- 26 940**
**-**
**32 580**
**5 640**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**6 803**
**8 532**
**52 000**
**505**
**95**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**67 935**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**67 935**
**135**
**1 188**
**26 940**
**52 000**
**8 532**
**12 000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**100 795**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**100 795**
**- 32 860**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**6 803**
**8 532**
**52 000**
**505**
**95**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**67 935**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**67 935**
**135**
**1 188**
**26 940**
**52 000**
**8 532**
**12 000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**100 795**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**100 795**
**- 32 860**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Donations|**6 803**|||||**-**|
|Hugh Birley|**-**|||||**-**|
|David Forbes Nixon Foundation|**-**|||||**-**|
|HMRC Gift Aid|**505**|||||**-**|
|Interest|**95**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**7 403**|||||**49 925**|
||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**|||||||
||**-**||||||
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Total receipts_ **
**A3 Payments**|||||||
|||||||**49 925**|
||||||||
|Bank Charges|**135**|||||**-**|
|Accountancy|**1 188**|||||**-**|
|31/07/24 Transfer Tusk Grant to TPP|**-**|||||**-**|
|17/03/25 Transfer DFN Grant to TPP|**-**|||||**-**|
|31/03/25 Transfer Birleydonation|**-**|||||**-**|
|SalaryE. Escalona|**12 000**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**13 323**|||||**55 933**|
||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**|||||||
||**-**||||||
||**-**||||||
|**_Sub total_ **|**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**|||||||
|||||||**55 933**|
||||||||
||**- 5 920**|**- 26 940**|**-**|**- 32 860**||**- 6 008**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**|
||**35 136**|**32 580**|**-**|**67 716**||**-**|
||**29 216**|**5 640**|**-**|**34 856**||**- 6 008**|
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B1 Cash funds**|**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Brought forward
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Signature|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**35 136**
**32 580**
**- 5 920**
**- 26 940**
**-**
**-**
**29 216**
**5 640**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Katie Hamilton|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||Katie Hamilton|04.12.25|
|||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examinerfs report on the
accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the trteeS
he Pangolin Project CIO
On accounts for the year
ended
Charity no
(if any)
1190187
31 March 2025
Set out on pages
(rebert0 ¥nduJe the page nLmbers of addiliwal $hÈetsi
I report to the trust5 on my examination of the accounts of the
above charity (Wie Trust.) for the year ended 31103 J 2025.
Responsibilities and
basis of report
As the charty's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of Ihe
accounts in accordan wrth the requirements of the charikn.es Act
2011 {"the Acf).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's aOUnts carried out
under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I
have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145(5){b) of the ACL
Independent
examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have
come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me
cause to believe that in, any material respect:
the accounling records were not kept in accordance with section 130
of the Chartties Act.. or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not compty with the applicable requirements
concerning the form and conlent of accounts set out in the Charities
{Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any
requirement that the accounls give a 'true and fair, view which is not
a matler considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no COnmS and have come across no other matters in connection
vèith the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in
order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: /
Name: M R Lanceley ACA
Date:
(if any):
Address:
JH Chester Limited. Chester House, Lloyd Drive, Cheshire Oaks Business
ark. Ellesmere PorL Cheshire. CH65 9HQ
Section B
Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern
(see CC32. IndeFendent examinats'on of chanty accounts.. directions and
guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of
any items that the
examiner viishes to
disclose.
IER
Oct 2018